Master in Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System at University of Parma
Two-year English-taught LM-77 master's at the University of Parma that joins economics and management with food quality and sustainability, with second-year curricula in sustainable value chains or sustainable quality.
Master
2 years
Parma
English
University of Parma
Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's (class LM-77) taught in English at the University of Parma, linking management with food technology and sustainability. Fees follow family income, up to about €2,000 a year, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Economics and Management of Sustainable Food Systems requires a suitable economics/business bachelor’s or an equivalent qualification assessed by the admissions committee. The current English-course portal requires a knowledge test in marketing, microeconomics and food science, plus English B2. Older EMSAS guidance describes the earlier curricular framework; its B1 and 2024 test dates are not the current English intake rules. [1, 2]
Current degree and equivalent-qualification assessment
The current portal identifies a bachelor’s in Economics and Business Management Sciences or another equivalent qualification assessed by the admissions committee. A degree title, employment in food business or interest in sustainability does not by itself decide admission. We submit the complete degree/examination record so the commission can establish suitability and foundational preparation. No universal numerical GPA floor is stated in this current listing. [1]
Detailed older curricular framework and its limits
The official 2024/25 EMSAS guidance names L-18 Business Administration, L-26 Food Science/Technology, their former corresponding classes and L/GASTR Gastronomic Sciences/Cultures/Policies. For another degree class it specifies at least 24 credits in one or more of SECS-P/01, /02, /06, /07, /08; AGR/01, /03, /15, /16; or VET/04. Suitable foreign qualifications receive prior academic evaluation. [2]
This is the detailed framework found in the older Italian-course guidance, not a newly published 2026/27 matrix. We check which equivalence/credit route the admissions commission currently applies to your transcript. The current portal’s English B2 and marketing/microeconomics/food-science assessment take precedence over copying that older document’s B1 language condition, 2024 appointments or Italian-course test format. [1, 2]
Current knowledge test and pending-degree wording
The current English listing says that the knowledge examination covers marketing, microeconomics and food science. It does not publish a current question count, duration, numerical pass score or an unconditional grade-based exemption, so those details are not taken from another course. Academic eligibility and passing the preparation assessment are separate requirements. [1]
The portal states that undergraduates can take the assessment before graduation by 31 March 2026. That date is past, and its placement in the 2026/27 listing does not establish a future appointment. It is not a current general graduation deadline or evidence of a new open round. The older 2024/25 document’s 31 December 2024 degree-completion provision applied to that year only. We follow the commission’s course-specific outcome and permitted applicant procedure. [1, 2]
English B2 and documented exemptions
The current portal lists FCE/CAE, IELTS 5.5+ or TOEFL 69+, and the named Cambridge, IELTS, Trinity and TOEFL bodies. Native-English applicants and applicants with a prior wholly English-taught course can use the stated certificate exemption. The MOI route requires an official former-university letter confirming the programme’s language. [1]
Italian certification is not compulsory for entry to this English degree, but the Italian-language assessment must be passed before graduation under the course rules. B2 evidence must be treated separately from the subject test; the older EMSAS B1 test component is not a reason to lower the current English requirement. [1, 2]
References and current application status
Although the portal has a generic “at least one reference” display, it explicitly says references are not mandatory and are appreciated. Recommendations are optional support, not a compulsory condition. The 2026/27 international application period is marked ended. The official June second-round list did not include this master, so Food Safety’s June round cannot be borrowed for this course. [1, 4]
Application file, language of documents and fees
We apply through the university’s admissions portal for the relevant international intake and upload the degree/academic record and course-specific evidence. The portal accepts academic records in English or Italian; official translations and verified copies are needed where necessary. The application fee is €30, covering up to three course requests within the call, rather than three automatic admissions. The fixed €156 administration charge is paid at final enrolment, separately from income-dependent tuition. [1]
Final enrolment with a foreign award requires original school and bachelor’s records with the prescribed diplomatic legalisation/Apostille, translations into Italian or English and the full university Transcript of Records. Any university-access examination certificate required in the awarding country is also needed, with a Declaration of Value or CIMEA comparability under the university’s stated procedure; ARDI is accepted only under its specific country/document conditions, not as a universal replacement. Originals are delivered to the Welcome Point/student administration. [3]
Immigration and final enrolment are separate from selection
Visa applicants must complete the applicable Universitaly pre-enrolment and consular study-visa process after academic acceptance. Final registration needs the passport, visa, residence permit/application receipt and official Italian tax code as applicable; self-generated online tax codes are not accepted. These English programmes do not require Italian B2 for admission, although the portal requires the course’s Italian-language assessment during the degree before graduation. [1, 3]
The central foreign-student page gives 31 October 2026 as the usual final enrolment date. Later-arriving visa holders may be considered through 31 January 2027, subject to programme-specific deadlines and the university checking teaching progress and practical feasibility. This is a conditional administrative provision for admission/enrolment, not a new overseas selection round, and late entry is not automatic. EU/equivalent applicants use the separately published ordinary procedure rather than borrowing the closed visa-intake dates. [3, 4]
Sources and verification
- University of Parma Admissions Portal, Economics and Management of Sustainable Food Systems, 5129/GEN/2026, academic year 2026/27; publication date not stated; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Parma, EMSAS admission requirements 2024/25; official indexed curricular and assessment sections reviewed; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Parma, Complete the enrolment, updated 25 August 2026, academic year 2026/27; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Parma, Master’s degree courses in English, updated 3 June 2026; current 2026/27 programme portal; reviewed 6 October 2026.
About the programme
Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System is a two-year laurea magistrale in class LM-77 (economics and management) worth 120 ECTS, offered by the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Parma and taught entirely in English. It was designed to bring business and economics together with food technology, for companies and for society.
The course aims to prepare students to manage food production, encourage conscious consumption and support local development that is sustainable environmentally, socially and economically. It draws on Parma's specialisation in the agri-food sector and the food businesses around the city. It suits economics and business graduates with an interest in food.
What you will study
The first year is common to all students; in the second year you choose the Sustainable Value Chain or the Sustainable Quality curriculum. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:
- Management and sustainability accounting (8 ECTS)
- Food marketing (10 ECTS)
- European and global food law (6 ECTS) and environmental economics and policy (6 ECTS)
- Economic history of Europe and European food (6 ECTS) and economic statistics (8 ECTS)
- International financial management (8 ECTS)
- Analysis of sustainability dimensions: food policy, and data management for sustainability
- Sustainable Value Chain curriculum: economics of value chains, food quality schemes, food quality and safety, sensory analysis
- Sustainable Quality curriculum: geographical indications, agricultural markets, nutrition and applied dietetics, agroecology and nutraceuticals
How the programme is taught
Alongside the core and curriculum units there are 9 credits of electives, a communication skills unit and 20 credits for the internship and final dissertation together. Attendance is not compulsory. Students on English-taught degrees at Parma also pass an Italian language assessment before graduating.
Career paths
The degree answers the need for managers with interdisciplinary skills in food companies, especially small and medium enterprises and cooperatives, which play a central role in the sustainability of their territories. Graduates can work in:
- Companies in short and long food value chains that compete on product quality and sustainable business models
- Food marketing, quality and sustainability management
- National and European institutions that manage food valorisation and pursue food policy goals for developed and developing countries
Fees and scholarships
Parma's fee rules for 2026/27 start with €156 at enrolment. A personalised contribution of up to about €2,000 a year follows, depending on your family's economic situation, merit and years enrolled, and eligible students can be exempt from it. International students with income abroad apply to ER.GO for the reduction and can also enter its regional scholarship call. This master's can be tuition-free for eligible students.
How to apply from outside the EU
Applications go through the university’s course-specific admissions portal under the detailed eligibility rules in the entry requirements. The 2026/27 international selection is closed, and the next call sets the new dates. Academic admission, foreign-record validation, Universitaly, visa and final registration are separate stages, and we follow the enrolment instructions that apply once you are admitted. [1, 3, 4]
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against Parma's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your admissions portal application and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your ER.GO Emilia-Romagna scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
Which previous degree is suitable?
An economics/business bachelor’s or another equivalent award assessed by the admissions committee from the academic record. [1]
What subjects are in the current knowledge test?
Marketing, microeconomics and food science. The current portal does not publish a question count or pass score. [1]
Does the older guidance provide a credit route?
The 2024/25 EMSAS guidance gives a 24-credit route in its listed economics/business, agricultural/food or veterinary sectors. We confirm with the course commission whether it still applies to your file. [2]
Is B1 enough for the current English degree?
No. The current 2026/27 portal requires B2; B1 appears in the older Italian-course guidance. [1, 2]
Can I use MOI instead of an English certificate?
The portal accepts an official former-university letter confirming the previous English-taught course, under its stated exemption. [1]
Are recommendation letters mandatory?
No. The portal explicitly says they are appreciated but not mandatory. [1]
Can someone handle my whole application to Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System at Parma?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against Parma's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the ER.GO Emilia-Romagna scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System?
Indian applicants need an economics or business bachelor's, or an equivalent qualification the admissions committee assesses from the full academic record [1]. The older 2024/25 guidance also gave a route of at least 24 credits in listed economics, agricultural or food sectors [2]. You also need English B2 and a knowledge test in marketing, microeconomics and food science [1]. We handle the portal application and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: admissions portal application, knowledge test and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Economics and Management of Sustainable Food System are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: admissions portal application, knowledge test and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I'm applying from the UK, US, Canada, Singapore or Malaysia. Is anything different?
The academic rules are identical. Non-EU applicants who live abroad, including citizens of these countries, follow the same route: admissions portal application, knowledge test and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa. Read our guides for London, New York, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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